Can New Sanctions Strategy for Venezuela and Iran Be Effective?

By Julian Hayda
A neighbor stand next to a pile of subsidized food to be distributed under a government program named “CLAP,” in the Catia district of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. An independent U.N. human rights monitor says economic sanctions are compounding a “grave crisis” in Venezuela.
A neighbor stand next to a pile of subsidized food to be distributed under a government program named "CLAP," in the Catia district of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. An independent U.N. human rights monitor says economic sanctions are compounding a "grave crisis" in Venezuela. Rodrigo Abd / AP Photo
A neighbor stand next to a pile of subsidized food to be distributed under a government program named “CLAP,” in the Catia district of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. An independent U.N. human rights monitor says economic sanctions are compounding a “grave crisis” in Venezuela.
A neighbor stand next to a pile of subsidized food to be distributed under a government program named "CLAP," in the Catia district of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. An independent U.N. human rights monitor says economic sanctions are compounding a "grave crisis" in Venezuela. Rodrigo Abd / AP Photo

Can New Sanctions Strategy for Venezuela and Iran Be Effective?

By Julian Hayda
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The United States often considers economic sanctions preferable to outright military conflict when engaging with opposing nations, and the practice itself dates back to relations between ancient Greek city-states. But with the U.S. imposing stricter sanctions on Venezuela, after years of imposing restrictions on the country, can sanctions still be an effective tool? With U.S. diplomats strong-arming EU companies to enforce sanctions on Iran, can the pressure even be self-defeating? We’re going to consider these dilemmas today with George Lopez, professor emeritus of peace studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.